Energy and Natural Resources

The world's energy and commodity markets are in a state of flux. However, despite recent events, the long term outlook for energy and natural resources is one of increasing demand. The volatility around commodity prices and the uncertainty around demand has created both challenges and opportunities for those operating in the energy and natural resources sector.

We have been active in the energy and natural resources sector for over 50 years and our team of more than 100 lawyers is well placed to advise on your needs. A number of our lawyers have worked at major energy companies or for regulators and as a consequence, our expertise stems not only from our knowledge of the law but also from our understanding of the commercial issues that affect our clients in the sector.

Our clients range from national oil companies, the super-majors, and financial institutions, to small and mid-sized operators. Whatever your size, all of our clients benefit from the partner-led service which is one of the hallmarks of Fieldfisher that sets us apart from other firms.

Our team provides seamless international advice wherever you may be operating and has worked across a wide range of key jurisdictions, in particular: the UK, EU, the CIS, Africa, Australia, North America, Japan, and South East Asia.

Notable deals / highlights

Advised LNG producer RasGas, a global energy supplier, on the implications of the EU regulation on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency.

Advised the UK Government on the sale of its stake in British Energy to EdF, including handling the complex state aid issues.

Acted for a cross-border interconnector joint venture on corporate and commercial matters, including structural issues arising from the Third Energy Package and the terms of its gas transportation agreements.

Advised Avocet Mining, the gold mining and exploration business, on its listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of £450m and the associated disposal of its South East Asian assets for $200m.

Advised BP Exploration on the sale of the largest onshore oil-field in Western Europe and the divestment of its southern North Sea gas assets. These deals involved dealing with onshore and offshore pipeline assets, wells, terminals and processing plants, dealing with third party and regulatory consents, and planning and environmental matters.

Advised Trap Oil on its AIM listing and placing raising £60m with a market capitalisation on admission of £80 million. Trap Oil holds oil and gas licences in the UK’s North Sea.

Advised the SSE and SGN teams on protecting its gas and electricity infrastructure as part of a Transport and Works Act Order for the Northern Line Extension by TFL.

Advised JSC KazMunaiGas Exploration Production, one of the largest oil and gas producers in Kazakhstan, on a number of transactions including the acquisition of a 50% interest in Mangistau Investments for $330m with associated debt of $1.3 billion from the China Export-Import Bank, and the sale of its 49% indirect interest in JSC Karpovskiy Severniy, holder of an oil and gas exploration license in Kazakhstan, to MOL.

Advised ESBII UK (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Electricity Supply Board of the Republic of Ireland) on the real estate aspects of the disposal of its shareholding in Marchwood Power Limited to German firm Munich Re.

Advised Mitra Energy in relation to the issue of convertible bonds, raising US$40 million for the company. Mitra Energy is an independent oil and gas exploration company focusing on exploration assets in the Asia Pacific.

Advising KGAL on the acquisition of a Finnish wind farm from ABO Wind consisting of 8 wind turbines with a total capacity of 26.4 MW to be built in 2016.

Acted for OpenHydro in patent litigation disputes relating to its technology for tidal power generation.

Acting for Libya Oil Holdings, owner of leading African oil retailer Oilibya, in co-ordinating trade mark protection for multiple house marks and a large number of retail product brands across twenty-four African jurisdictions